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Winn Food-Share Program seeking donations

Winn Army Community Hospital is seeking donations from individuals and businesses for its Christmas Food-Share Drive, according to Sarah B. Hayes, Food-Share Program coordinator. She said Winn provided meals for 50 families during the Thanksgiving holiday and is looking to do the same for Christmas.

“We need 50 turkeys to start with,” Hayes said, explaining the food is given to soldiers and civilians at Winn who need assistance during the holidays. “We’re also looking for canned goods and other non-perishable food items.”

She said suggested non-perishable food items include stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, canned milk, canned fruit, gravy packets, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, pie filling, brown sugar, boxed macaroni and cheese, cake mixes and cornbread mixes. Monetary donations also are accepted, Hayes said. Non-perishable food items can be left in a drop-box at the hospital’s main entrance. Anyone who wants to donate frozen turkeys should ask the staff duty noncommissioned officer to call Hayes at 435-7020 to pick them up between 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. so the turkeys can be stored in a freezer.

“We really need these food items by Dec. 8,” she said, explaining that time is needed to sort and compile the items for baskets, which will be assembled Dec. 9. “Our hope is to have 50 baskets of food to distribute by Dec. 10,” Hayes said.